In a sign of victory for Gurgaon residents and citizen pressure groups, who have been demanding removal of toll plazas on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the financial company IDFC gave a proposal to the Delhi High Court on Thursday for removal of the Delhi-border (Sirhol) toll plaza.

The key lender has also proposed shifting of the Kherki Daula toll plaza, 12 kms away from the city towards Jaipur.

If accepted, commuters between Delhi and the Millennium City would not have to pay any toll for inter and intra-city travelling.

The motorists would have to pay toll only if they cross Bilaspur (the proposed location for the new toll plaza). Two and three-wheelers are already exempted from paying toll.

The proposal has brought smiles on the faces of activists of the Toll Hatao Sangharsh Samiti (THSS) who held a number of demonstrations and moved court demanding removal of toll plazas out of the municipal limits.

RS Rathee of THSS termed the development as their victory. “If approved, the proposal will bring relief that we have been waiting for years. It is an irony that people staying in Ambience Lagoon apartments have to pay the toll twice, for crossing the Sirhol toll plaza to travel about a kilometre for going to Rajokri, and then for returning back home. Similar is the case at the Kherki Daula toll plaza where industrialists from IMT Manesar not only pay toll through their noses but wait for hours to cross the congested plaza,” Rathee added.

It might be that IDFC clubs the Sirhol and Kherki toll plaza charges at the new location plaza. A car owner, who would pay R21 at Sirhol plaza and Rs. 27 at Kherki Daula plaza, would now have to pay R48 at the new location toll plaza near Bilaspur.

On the other hand, the National Highway Authority of India officials too look to have accepted the proposal internally as its officials have already started studying the MCG maps and doing ground work.